The Jasad Heir

Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enemies to Lovers Vibe-check ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Romance Style: Enemies to Lovers
Romance Speed: Slow Burn
Tropes:

💋 Enemies to Lovers
💋 Super slow burn
🤯 Twists Twists Twists
🤯 Betrayal from multiple sides
♥️ Vast expansive world
♥️ Morally grey characters
🤔 Political intrigue

This review contains Minor Spoilers: I DNFed this book when I first read it. Picxked it up again and it my opinion, it is a 5 star read and one of the most unique and fun fantasy books I’ve picked up this year. Let’s talk about what changed.

10 years ago, Sylvia fled her homeland and went into hiding after the Nizahl kingdom invaded and laid waste to the land. As the heir to the Jasad throne, the last kingdom with dangerous magic, she and her kind are hunted to the ends of the earth, put into sham trials, and executed. She lived a life of peace until the Nizahl Heir Arin finds her in her village and chooses her to be his champion in a deadly game between kingdoms. As Sylvia trains for this competition, she must keep her identity hidden, or face death.

I will start with the book’s flaw; this is a debut novel, and the first 100 pages are a tad slow with quite a bit of exposition and info dumping. Not so much that it is unreadable, but the author really wants to connect you to the world but struggles to find natural places to put the information.

Sara Hashem clearly has planned out every inch of her world and there is a lot of information to keep track of- yet I also found that this information is naturally expanded on as the book progresses. Moreso, you can tell that she is plotting out a massive world expansion in books following. This is a fantastic series if you like a big fantasy universe with a lot of thought put into the intricacies.

Sylvia is one of the most beautifully written main characters I’ve spent time with in awhile. She is a deeply conflicted person wrestling with a troubled past and the crushing guilt she feels in collaborating with the kingdom that slaughtered every person she has ever loved. Her adventure slowly begins to reveal dark details about Jasad that force her to reconcile with the past of her own people. Her story asks the reader to examine their ideas about perfect victimhood- and whether nations that perpetuate atrocities deserve to experience those atrocities inflicted on them. Why would every nation want the Jasad gone, and what does one do when an enemy is vanquished?

Sylvia herself is a survivor, and it’s established early on that she does not have a lot of moral hangups when It comes to protecting herself and those she loves. She is not an “everyman” main character; but a woman plagued with a troubled past who is not afraid of using violence

Arin is the secondary main character worth talking about- the Nizahl Heir. His character is written strictly as a villain for a major portion of the book. Arin is an icy shrewd warlord able to swiftly sniff out secrets and lies. he is emotionally distant from his allies and brutal on his enemies- willing to kill or torture to achieve his goals.

The books is written in first person, so the characters are seen though Sylvia’s point of view, thus many remain relatively mysterious. There are some fun side characters here, but they don’t have a lot going on in terms of independent storylines. This actually worked for me because there are many characters that all have plot threads connected to Sylvia, and her relationships with all of them range from warm and emotional to devastating. I was particularly affected by her relationships with certain characters from her past that show up a bit later in the story. The other characters of note appear in the back half of the story: the nobles of the kingdoms and their selected champions. This includes a manipulative and fearsome sultena, an axe wielding brute, and a whole cast of interesting characters.

The Romance

The romance in the book is easily one of the best I’ve read in fantasy fullstop. This is the slowest burn possible. every single moment between these characters is earned. Arin and Sylvia start out as enemies when she is captured. He isn’t seen as a handsome rogue- she truly sees him as a detestable monster who is beyond humanity. Because both characters are deeply broken, romance and attraction is not on their minds. Instead, the two slowly grow to trust each other as reluctant allies and then friends. Feelings play a part only towards the end of the book.

If you like romance where the leads attempt to kill each other and don’t feel shy about harming each other, this one is for you. Sara Hashem creates a truly national progression to romance that starts with bitter enemies from different factions carrying prejudice and hate with them. She carefully plans a story where each plot points brings the characters closer to each other against their will.

Sometimes there is banter, but the book strays away from “two quick witted people shooting off Joss Whedon lines at each other” focusing on darker conflicts between the two. Namely, Arin is predudice against Sylvia’s people. His father destroyed her lands. He genuinely fears the power that magic has and carries the generational trauma of that; motivating what he does and how he treats others. The pair struggle to feel safe under normal circumstances, but working together to achieve a goal puts the mistrust both of them have to the test.

This is NOT a romance where the main character’s heart flutters right away, or the villain love interest does something shockingly sweet early in the book. Arin and Sylvia are ice cold, and their adventures with each other thaw years of trauma and social conditioning. The Jasad Heir truly is the story of two broken people harming and hating each other because they can’t fathom a world where love and companionship is possible for them.

The Jasad Heir sometimes demands work from you. Its not always an easy read, but it works to reward you at every turn with shocking twists, excellent character development, and a 5 star romance.